Weft detecting mechanism for drop box looms



Aug. 23, 1932. Q 5 BROWN 1,873,108

WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM FOR DROP BOX LOOMS Filed April 1'7. 1931m'lmflwlllh (93 "MIN" i I I Jmrentor Clyde 5. Brown attorney;

Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLYDE E. BROWN, 01?WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON &'

KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, 0F WORCESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS WEF'I DETECTING MECHANISM Eon nEor Eox Looms Applicationfiled April 17,

This invention relates to looms in which drop boxes are provided at thedetecting side of the loom and in which a separate weft detector isdefinitely associated with each drop box and moves upward and downwardtherewith. 1

It is the general object of my invention to provide improved means fordetermining which weft detector shall become operative at a given timeand which detector shall remain inoperative.

More specifically, I provide a construction by which the detectorassociated with the shuttle about to become active will be left free fordetecting action, while the other detector will be positively withdrawnor otherwise held inoperative.

My invention also relates to an improved construction in the supportingslide of aweft detector, so designed that a certain amont of lost motionis provided for a purpose to be described.

My invention further relates to arrange ments and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which 7Fig. 1 is an end elevation, partly in section, showing portions of adrop box loom having my improvements applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the detecting mechanism, looking in thedirection of the arrow2in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view, taken along the line 33 in Fig. 2, and7 Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views indicating the operation ofcertain parts under different conditions.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown portions of a loom frame 10, alay 11, a lay end 12, drop boxes 13 vertically movable thereon, and alift-er rod 14 for raising and lowering the boxes, these parts being ofany usual construction.

A detector slide 20 is mounted in a vertical stud 60 positioned in anarcuate slot 61 inthe relation on arms 23 and 24 projecting laterally931. Serial no. 530,900.

from the slide 20. The vertical spacing of the detecting devices A andBcorre'sponds to the vertical spacing of the drop boxes 13 and ofthe'shuttles S and S boxed therein. 3

Each weft detecting device comprises a'detectingmember 30 pivoted at 31(Fig. 3) to a member 34 which is associated with a similar member 35 toform a sliding support for the detector 30. The members 34 and 35 areslidable in a guideway in a stand 36 and eachmember is cut away orrecessed asindicated at 37 and is provided with a lug or projectiontermined amount of lost motion slide members 34 and 35.

A spring 40 in each stand 36 engages the detector 30 at the point 41 andholds a forwardly extending portion 42 of the detector against a stoppin 43 on the slidemember 34'. The single spring 40 also acts toseparate between the the slide members 34 and 35 to their fullest When adetector eng'ages'a weft carrier having a sufficient supply of weftthereon, the detector is moved directly forward, sliding past thecontact member without communieating any motion thereto. When the weftis substantially exhausted, however, the detector 3'0 slides along thesurface of the carrier to the left in Fig. 3, communicating-motion tothe contact member 50 an'd swinging the arm 53 intothe path of thefloating lever or chopper 55, by which action the lever 55 is renderedoperative to initiate weft replenishment in the usual manner.

The detector slide 20 is provided with a front end of an arm 63, thestud entering The slide 20 is provided with notches or MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF .38, said lugs and recesses permitting a prededepressionsM (Fig. 2) adapted to receive the pointed end of a spring-pressedplunger 65 and is thereby retained in desired vertical position when thelay moves rearward and the stud 60 is free from the slot 61 in thepositioning arm 63.

Upper and lower shields 70 and 71 are pivoted at 72 and 73 on the fixedstand or support 21. Each shield 70 .or 71' isprovided with a guidingportion or flange 75, adapted to cooperatewith offset lugs 76 (Figs.

' 2 and 3) at the front end of the slide members 34: and 35. Springs 77hold the'free ends of the shield members 70 and 71 pressed against theside of the support 21,'as indicated 'in- Fig. 1. The flanges '75 arecut away at theirextreme end portions so that the lugs 76 may ,pass bythe flanges at-their upper or lowerlimits of travel, as will behereinafter sirable that the detecting mechanism operate only with theshuttle about to become active and not with the shuttle which is movingto inactive position.

ment.

Assuming that a downward change in the Weft detection takes place as theboxes are approaching front center, at which time theshuttle about tobecome active is moving upwardor downward toward activeposition inalignment with the shuttle race, and the shuttle about to becomeinactive is moving upward or downward away from such alignment.

In Fig. 1 the boxes and detecting devices A and B are shown in anintermediate position, neither shuttle being in active position. I haveindicated in dotted lines at 7 6 in Fig. 1 the position which would beoccupied by the lug or projection 76 of the detecting device B at thecompletion of an operative upward movement, and at 76 I have shown thecorresponding position of the detecting device A after an inoperativeupward moveposition of the shuttles and drop boxes then 'takes'plaee,bringing the upper shuttle'S to active position the slide 20 will besimultaneously lowered, carrying. the upper and lower lugs orprojections 76 downward relative to the shields and 71. The effectofthis downward movement is indicated in Fig. 4, the upper lug orprojection 76 moving directly downward behind the flange 7 5 of theupper shield 7 O whilethe lower lug or projection 7 6 is engaged by theflange of the lower shield 71 and is drawn'outward and forward,withdrawing the lower detector 30 of the detecting device Efremengagement rendered inoperative by the action of the shield 71-. Thismovement of the lugs 76 is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4.

If the boxes are in lowered position, wlth the shuttle S at the level ofthe shuttle race and the shuttle S about to be raised and become active,the upper detector 30 will be withdrawn by the upper shield 70, whilethe lug 76 of the lower detector will pass behind the shield71, leavingthe lower detector '30 free and operative, as indicated in Fig. 5. Asthe detector devices A'and B complete their upward or downward movement,the lugs 7 6 are freed from the cut-away end portions of the flanges 75.p

I have formed the detector slide in two parts 34 and 35 so that the rearpart 3% may move forward when the associated detector 30 engages a fullbobbin without causing the portion 35 of the slide to be pushed forwardand'engage the under sideof the corresponding shield 70 or 71, as suchengagement would add the tension of the corresponding spring 77 to theforce of the spring 40, causing an unnecessarily strong pressure of thedetector 30 against the weft on the bobbin.

Having thus described my invention, it

will be seen that I have provided a quite simple construction by whichthe detector moving from active position is rendered inoperative and thedetector moving'toward active position is rendered operative.

The device is thus adapted for use in a loom designed for mixingfilling, or many other loom, in which the boxes and shuttle are shiftedafter each pick. -.Having thus described my invention and the advantagesthereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed,otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is 1. In aweftreplenishing drop box loom having a pair of shuttle boxes. and meansto move said boxes to bring a selected shuttle to active position, aweft detecting device,

definitely associated with each shuttle box, and means to render eachdetecting device inoperative as its associated shuttle box is moved toinactive positionand to restore said detecting device to operativecondition as the movement of the shuttle box to inactive posi-' tion iscompleted.

2.- In a weft replenishing drop box loom having a pair of shuttle boxesand means to move said boxes to bring'a selected shuttle to activeposition, a weft detecting device definitely associated with eachshuttle box,

and means to render each detecting device inoperative as its associatedshuttle box is moved to inactive position, said means leaving freelyoperative at all times the detecting device associated with the shuttlebox moving to active position and restoring the inoperative detectingdevice to operative condition as the shuttle box movement is completed.7 v

3. In a weft replenishing drop box loom having a pair of shuttle boxesand means to move said boxes to bring a selected shuttle to activeposition, a weft detecting device definitely associated with eachshuttle box, and a separately movable detector-withdrawing elementassociated with each detecting device and effective to render itsdetecting device inoperative as said device and its associated shuttlebox are moved to inactive position said withdrawing elements being bothinoperative with respect to a shuttle box and associated detector movingtoward active position.

ing portion passes under said flange as said detecting device is movedto active position and passes beyond the second end of said flange assaid device reaches active position.

9. In a loom, a weft detecting device comprising a detector, a stand, aslide guided in -fixed my signature.

CLYDE E. BROWN.

, 4. The combination in a drop box loom as 7 set forth in claim 3, inwhich each detecting device has a portion cooperating with its'associated control element only and engaged by said control element assaid detecting device is moved from active to inactive position.

5. The combination in a drop box loom as set forth in claim 3, in whicheach detecting device has a portion cooperating with its associatedcontrol element only and engaged by said control element as saiddetecting device is moved from mid-position to extreme position relativeto said control elements. 7

6. The combination in a drop box loom as set forth in claim 3, in whicheach detecting device has a portion cooperating with its associatedcontrol element only and engaged by said control element as saiddetecting device is moved from active to inactive position, v but saidengaging portion being free from said control element on the returnmovement of the associated detecting device to inactive position.

7. In a weft replenishing drop box loom having a pair of shuttle boxesand means to move said boxes to bring a selected shuttle to activeposition, a weft detecting device definitely associated with eachshuttle box, and means to withdraw each detecting device fromweft-engaging position as said device and its associated shuttle box ismoved to inactive position, said means comprising shields having flangesof limited length thereon and each detecting device having a projectingportion riding on one of said flanges as said detecting device moves toinactive position and passing off of an end of said flange as the devicereaches inactive position.

8. The combination in a drop box loom as I; set forth in claim 7, inwhich said project-

